He looked at me for a minute, and I wondered if I had pushed it too far. Then he gestured towards the chair, and I sat down behind the desk.
“You have the stage,” he said.
I took a deep breath and told him everything I had thought of. I had the satisfaction of watching his eyes widen as I continued to explain it all to him.
“Well, shit,” he whispered as I finished. “You’re right. Why didn’t any of us see it?”
My heart swelled with pride at his praise as he started to pace the room.
“This is marvelous! I don’t believe it! If I handle this myself… If I personally lead this last cross-examination, I can win this. All I have to do is prove everything you said. The case falls into shambles after that. You are a genius!” he said, looking ecstatic.
And then he did something that blew me away.
He marched over to me and kissed me.
Chapter 6
Free Woman
Gale Fears
Istood in front of the witness stand, looking at the docile housekeeper who sat in front of me. Her white, curly hair and her wrinkled face gave her the appearance of an innocent old woman.
“Mrs. June,” I said. “You claim that you saw Mrs. Durrick pouring the poison into the decanter. Is that true?”
“Yes, I saw it with my own eyes!” she said. “I saw her opening the pouch and pouring it into the decanter. I was about to head home after work. I was looking for Mrs. Durrick to tell her that my work for the day was done and that I was leaving. I saw her in the study, and I peeked in to inform her, when I saw her pouring some powder into the master’s wine. I was shocked, but I didn’t think it would be poison. I thought perhaps it was sleeping powder. What would an old woman like me know? It was only the very next morning, when I found out about the master’s death, that I began to think it was suspicious.”
“Then why didn’t you go to the police immediately? Why did you take so long?” I asked.
“Because I was scared. Scared of what Mrs. Durrick might do to me. Sheisa murderess after all!” she gasped out.
“I see,” I said. “And what helped you overcome this fear all of a sudden?”
“I saw the master in my dream one night, begging that she be brought to justice. I couldn’t hold my tongue anymore. I had to speak up!” she said.
“Mrs. June, is it true that you have recently had cataract surgery?” I asked.
“Yes, I have, but I fail to see…” she said, bewildered.
“Is it true that you have been suffering from cataracts for the past five years, but you couldn’t do anything about it because you didn’t have the money to get the surgery done?” I asked.
“Objection!” the prosecutor shouted. “Irrelevant!”
“I assure you, your honor,” I said. “I have a point to this.”
“Overruled,” the judge said. “Mr. Fears, get to your point faster.”
“Yes, your honor,” I said. “Mrs. June, I have your medical records here stating that you got the surgery a week after the death of Mr. Durrick. So, it is safe to assume that you were still suffering from this ailment at the time of Mr. Durrick’s death. I have reports here from your doctor. He claimed that your vision was extremely blurry, and you needed surgery urgently. I have numerous reports from other servants stating that your work was suffering because of your cataracts. Mr. Durrick only kept you on out of the kindness of his heart. So, I put it to you, how could you have seen Mrs. Durrick pouring the poison when you could barely see at all? And I also put it to the members of the jury, how did Mrs. June suddenly get the money she needed for her surgery? And so soon after the death of her employer?”
Silence reigned in the court. To be frank, few of these things were listed in my records. There was only a mention of her suffering from cataracts, a fact that my annoying secretary had noted. When she had brought it to my attention, I had sent my best men out, sourcing every detail they could find. What came out was a plethora of information exposing everything. The medical records had to be subpoenaed, which took time. Then convening the doctor to testify, and then following the money trail into the housekeeper’s account. Everything had unraveled after that.
“I have records proving everything,” I said. “I even have her account details, showing the money that was transferred into her account by Mr. Durrick’s sister – the one who accused Mrs. Durrick of being a murderer! I put it to you that Mrs. June was bribed to lay false statements by the accuser, so Mrs. Durrick would be wrongfully implicated and thrown into jail! She has committed perjury and must be sentenced for it!”
“Do you have all of these records, Mr. Fears?” the judge asked.
“Yes, your honor,” I said. “I also have her doctor, who is willing to testify that she indeed could not have seen what she claims to have seen!”
I knew I had won the case. The look on the housekeeper’s face, filled with horror, was enough for me. The prosecutor was quiet, no longer objecting, and Mr. Durrick’s sister sat there with her mouth open.
